Sheeter machines or sheeter heads are utilized in food processing for converting a supply of prepared dough into tortillas, chips and the like. For example, tortillas and various chips are made from corn flour referred to as "masa".
Sheeter machines typically comprise a pair of rollers through which the prepared dough is formed into a continuous sheet. The sheeting rollers or heads used in the processing of masa and like doughs employ stripper wires that separate the formed sheet from the rollers, as may be required. The typical sheeting head is comprised of back and front rollers disposed on horizontally spaced parallel axes. The formed sheet of dough is stripped from the back roller, transferred to the front roller, and cut into the desired shape by a cutter roller. The cut dough is stripped from the front roller to a conveyor or other apparatus for forward transport and further processing. The stripping wires typically comprise a first wire for stripping the dough from the back roller and a second wire for wire for stripping the dough from the back roller and a second wire for stripping the dough from the front roller onto a conveyor or other apparatus for transporting the formed tortillas or chips for further processing.
The design of a typical sheeter head makes it difficult to access the cutting mold for changes thereof. In addition, a typical sheeting head has the second wire for removing dough from the forward roller positioned at approximately 4 o'clock or 5 o'clock relative to the roller. That is, the stripper wire is on the side of the forward roller shaft opposite to the rear roller. Such a position has the inherent disadvantage of removing the cut dough from the roller as it is traveling upward, thereby causing the dough to fall awkwardly onto the removal conveyor or belt. Further, typical sheeter heads provide an adjustment for the back or rearward head or roller comprising a threaded rod through a block which has been drilled and tapped. However, this has the inherent disadvantage of the threads being stripped due to the pressure on the threads. Accordingly, the art has sought a sheeting machine which overcomes the foregoing limitations.